Missouri 13-Year Old Threatens Principal with AK-47

A 13-year old student fired an AK-47 inside Memorial Middle School in Joplin, Missouri on Monday morning, but no one was injured, according to authorities. The student was wearing a makeshift mask when he went into the school carrying an assault rifle, where he was confronted by two other students.

When Principal Steve Gilbreth and Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr appeared, the student pointed the rifle at the principal, saying "not to make me do this." According to Superintendent Jim Simpson, who held a news conference this morning outside the school, the teen then fired a shot into the ceiling, breaking a water pipe. Then he again said, "Please don’t make me do this."

Doerr and Gilbreth persuaded the student to leave the building, where two police officers were waiting with their weapons drawn. The teen dropped his rifle and was taken into custody without further incident. Authorities searched the student’s backpack and found a note indicating that he had placed an explosive inside the school. The building was immediately evacuated, with students being moved to nearby Joplin Memorial Hall while officers searched the building.

Simpson said that authorities are investigating whether other students may have been involved in the planned attack. "It was planned for a long time," Simpson added. After students were taken to the gymnasium, their parents were called to come pick them up. The school serves about 700 students in the city of Joplin, which is on the Kansas border about 140 miles south of Kansas City.

Schools across the country have been on alert after three deadly shootings in three different states last week. Several schools have been locked down or closed entirely during the past two weeks because of threats. This morning’s incident in Joplin "was a very close call," Simpson said.